Jean Baptiste Jean Joseph (1967-)Born in 1967 in La Vallé Bainet, Jean Baptiste Jean Joseph (or JBJJ) is the son of a farmer and a seamstress. Raised in Croix-des-Bouquets, the village where most of Haiti’s metal sculptures are made, JBJJ developed a strong interest for folk crafts and textiles from an early age. He further developed this passion by learning to weave baskets and working at a factory, sewing pearls and beads onto wedding dresses. When he received a small loan from a friend in 1991, he set up the Isidor gallery. This name was chosen in homage to the Vodou figure Saint Isidor – also known as Cousin Zaka Mede – who was a farm labourer. JBJJ employs ten artisans who make Vodou flags but also purses, suitcases, Vodou dolls, ‘bouteillespayettes’ (recycled plastic bottles), ’paquets congo’ (a type of gris-gris bag usually worn around the neck) and various other handcrafts, popular with locals and tourists alike.JBJJ was raised as a protestant and religion inspired his first flags, which he illustrated with psalms and biblical imagery. But it was not a popular subject and he struggled to sell his works. When his mother had a Vodou revelation on her deathbed in 1999, JBJJ was ‘chosen’ by Saint Isidor, the Vodou goddess Erzulie, and the ancient spirit Papa Loko. He consequently represented Erzulie on his next flag, carefully stitching every intricate detail by hand. This flag was hugely popular and sold for 3,250 Haitian gourdes. It was then that the Museum of Haitian Art in Port-au-Prince spotted the artist and started selling his flags in the museum shop. Thanks to this great exposure, JBJJ’s reputation grew internationally and he subsequently exhibited his works at major art galleries in Haiti, as well as in New York, Miami, California, Australia – and now Paris. In fact, he told us that it would be ‘a pleasure’ for him to hold another show in Europe. Making a Vodou flag is a long and meticulous process that can take up to 6 weeks. Drawing from his experience at the textile factory, JBJJ creates semi-sequined backgrounds to which he adds exquisite beaded compositions. The unique sculptural style of JBJJ’s flags is directly inspired by the metal works that surrounded him as a child. In an effort to break with the flag-making tradition, JBJJ started using satin and velvet – materials that he describes as ‘lasting’ and ‘beautiful’. These luxurious fabrics notably come in blue, red and black – the Vodou colours. JBJJ draws from a number of pictorial motives, including animals and Vodou spirits, and he uses flags as a medium to document and represent his environment. With his unconventional technique and vanguard designs, the artist has truly influenced a new generation of flag makers – some of whom he trains at his gallery.The terrible earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 undeniably influenced JBJJ’s work, and the artist told us about the pain and the sadness that this tragedy brought upon the country. As JBJJ told us, ‘in the future years, we hope that Haiti does not witness another natural catastrophe of this scale. We hope that the country enjoys political stability in order to increase employment, and that the arts become a means to attract more tourism’. After being visited by an apparition of La Sirène (the Vodou mermaid) at a ceremony for the Water God Ague in Gonaïves, JBJJ definitely rallied to the Vodou belief. The artist is now a Vodou Priest, and his work remains deeply rooted in the Vodou culture.(Source: https://theculturetrip.com/caribbean/haiti/articles/vodou-flags-between-the-terrestrial-and-the-spiritual/)